February 5, 2024, 10:12 am | Read time: 5 minutes
More and more young people are starting with weight training, thanks to fitness role models on Instagram and similar platforms. But is this actually good for their development, or better put: When is it appropriate for a child to start training with weights? A sports scientist has the answer.
The fitness industry is booming! This success is partly due to social media–and teenagers. Many fitness influencers generate their reach with the help of 13- to 18-year-old users on Instagram, YouTube, and similar platforms. Driven by virtually displayed muscle mountains and flat stomachs, many young people flock to the gym. But: When should children and teenagers start weight training at the earliest to avoid unintentionally–and perhaps even permanently–harming their bodies? Sports scientist Jörn Giersberg knows the risks and benefits of weight training for adolescents.
Overview
When is it too early for weight training?
This is a question parents are forced to ask when their children express a desire for a gym membership. It’s not uncommon for them to quickly turn to the internet, where warnings like “weight training in childhood can lead to growth disorders and bone damage” circulate. What’s behind this?
The so-called growth plates of the bones can be damaged by (excessive) stress when children and teenagers engage in weight training.1 Background: The cartilaginous part of the long bones is still more vulnerable in them. In adults, the growth plates ossify, marking the end of the growth process.
Jörn Giersberg says: “The age at which children should start weight training should be based on their individual maturity level. However, generally speaking, training can begin as early as 14 to 16 years old.”
Giersberg emphasizes that every visit to the gym should be approached with particular caution, especially for adolescents. Excessive stress can cause the growth plates to ossify prematurely, which can hinder development. “An example of this is gymnasts, who experience slowed growth due to the very high demands on their structures,” Giersberg explains.
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How should teenagers train?
There are persistent claims that children should engage in weight training using machines or body weight rather than free weights. According to Jörn Giersberg, this is not entirely correct: “In the gym, it’s important to reduce the intensity. In a range of ten repetitions, you can’t really go wrong. And you can work with free weights in addition to body weight and machines, as long as you focus on proper execution.” Giersberg further recommends incorporating playful elements into training with teenagers.
In summary: The risk of damaging growth plates is less about age and more about poor execution and/or excessive training weights. Additionally, weight training during the teenage years not only carries risks but also offers benefits for the (fully grown) body.
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Benefits of weight training in childhood and adolescence
Giersberg clarifies that any form of sport during adolescence, when properly dosed and executed, has positive long-term effects: “The longer a teenager is physically active, the more sensitively the muscle memory responds to recurring stimuli in old age. Furthermore, early physical activity improves the passive musculoskeletal system. Systematic stress in weight training strengthens tendons and ligaments.” Long-term benefits include the prevention of osteoporosis. Giersberg explains that the foundations for this are laid by the age of 30, adding: “Weight training during adolescence can have preventive effects for old age!”
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Stay away from steroids!
Not every impressive muscle of fitness influencers is due to pure training effort, especially in the bodybuilding sector, where steroids are still used to push hypertrophy. Parents should be aware of this and absolutely prevent it in their offspring. Because for teenagers, the consumption can have irreversible consequences.
Giersberg explains the appeal of steroids for teenagers: “The interest in the opposite sex during puberty is crucial for wanting to increase one’s ‘market value’ with a trained body.” The pursuit of physical perfection can be managed through weight training and is not a new phenomenon. However, teenagers have become more susceptible to anabolic steroids due to social media. The reason is simple: “Young people are presented with a physical image that cannot be maintained without steroids. They are sometimes constantly exposed to these images because they always have access to social networks in everyday life.”
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This results in a significantly lowered threshold for prioritizing appearance over health–also because there is virtually no education on the internet. The affected are not only the (growing) young men.
Problematic: According to Giersberg, parents themselves lack knowledge about the dangers. And these can be severe:
On one hand, the hormonal balance is completely disrupted because the body tries to maintain equilibrium. “Especially for an adolescent, this has massive consequences. Organ damage is not uncommon,” warns Giersberg. On the other hand, the passive musculoskeletal system cannot compensate for the rapid strength gains. The result is that tendons and ligaments are strained.
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Conclusion
From a purely physiological perspective, there’s nothing inherently wrong with a 16-year-old going to the gym to build a muscular body. Provided he stays away from doping substances, pays attention to proper execution, and doesn’t overdo it with the training weights. All points that, of course, also apply to fully grown gym-goers, but are even more important for teenagers due to their physical constitution.